Multicomponent polymerization
(MCP) is an efficient and rapid method
for obtaining multifunctional polymeric materials that have been widely
developed in recent years. In this work, poly(β-aminoacrylate)s
were obtained by spontaneous MCP with the assistance of the C2-amidation
of 1-methylimidazole together with diacetylenic esters and diisocyanates.
This process can be carried out under mild conditions, such as in
a catalyst-free and room-temperature environment. Through the systematic
optimization of the polymerization conditions, the resultant poly(β-aminoacrylate)s
could have molecular weights of up to 24 100 g/mol and excellent
yields (up to 94%). All the polymers were well-characterized by gel
permeation chromatography (GPC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR),
and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and all the collected
data illustrated that the polymerization mechanism corresponds to
a model reaction of small molecules. The photophysical property of
these obtained polymers indicated that one of the polymers (polymer P1b2a) demonstrated a luminescence capability that was unconventional
because no fluorescent emitters were present in its main chains or
side chains. A further study suggested that the clustering of diverse
subgroups with subsequent electron cloud overlapping, which resulted
in molecular conformation rigidification, was primarily responsible
for this emission. Thus, the current MCP method will provide guidance
for preparing new nonconjugated polymers with cluster-induced emissive
functional materials for easily tailored specific applications.